If you are here to shop for a pressure cooker and wondering what all the buzz is about for an electric pressure cooker, we are glad to give you the run down on the differences between a stove top pressure cooker and an electric pressure cooker so you can make an informed decision.
- Electric pressure cookers are best for those who are nervous about fiddling with heat settings – the intelligent electric cooker will do it automatically, just set it and forget it.
- For those who have an excess of electric appliances like a slow cooker, a rice cooker and yogurt maker – an all in one electric pressure cooker
- A boon for busy parents who need to schedule dinner to be ready when they walk in the door will appreciate the cooking delay timer available in some models which starts cooking dinner before anyone is home.
- An advantage no doubt, for college students or for persons with limited kitchen space – multifunction pressure cooker - it browns/saute’s, pressure cooks and keep the food warm – some do even more.
- It definitely is a god send for senior citizens -no need to remember if the burner is on or off, the instant pot will turn itself off after cooking and can be placed at any height for easy access;
- No less a blessing for expert cooks too; who have already moved all of their cooking to pressure and often have more than one stovetop cooker running – an electric pressure cooker is a great addition to the ensemble.
Stove Top Pressure Cookers are good those who want speed and power since they reach higher heat and pressure than electric pressure cookers, but for those who value durability over convenience – electrics can last years and an electric pressure cooker can offer a totally different type of convenience: peace of mind.
However, the most important feature to consider when working out what differentiates a stovetop pressure cooker from an electric pressure cooker can be found in the sophisticated electronics which comprise the machine.
Firstly, it’s worth pointing out that top rated electric pressure cookers are jam-packed with a myriad of features which make them incredibly safe to use. From sensors which detect whether or not the lid is firmly and completely sealed before allowing the heat to turn on, to a lid-locking mechanism that prevents opening at any time that could be potentially dangerous and result in a face-full of scalding hot steam: these are high-tech pieces of kit designed for safe use in a family home.
With a Geek chef pressure cooker you also gain a great deal:
Benefits of Electric Pressure Cooker
Integrated Cooking Timer
You can tell the electric pressure cooker how long a recipe requires cooking for, add your ingredients, and walk away. The timer will countdown, ensuring that your food is cooked to perfection every single time. It’s really easy to convert stovetop recipes to electric pressure cooker too.
Smart Scheduling
As if the above wasn’t already convenient enough, best electric pressure cookers will allow you to go one step further than telling the device how long to cook for: you can also tell them when you’d like the cooking to start! For a meal that doesn’t contain easily-spoiled foods like meat and dairy, you can generally set a delayed start of up to 12-hours in many cases so that you can easily coordinate the automatic pressure cooker around the rest of your day.
If you value the easy versatility of being able to swap between using the cooker pot for its intended purpose or as a regular pan, then a stovetop may suffice. If, on the other hand, you value the more high-tech conveniences like scheduling, automatic cooking times, and great safety features, then an electric pressure cooker is the only option.
PopularCooking Questions
So stove top pressure cookers vs electric pressure cookers, what are the differences? Stovetop pressure cookers take their heat source direct from your cooker, are normally cheaper, and have a shorter cooking time. An electric pressure cooker uses electricity to heat up food. It takes longer to cook with (up to three times as long) and comes with a number of different functions.
An electric pressure cooker differs from its stovetop counterpart in that it will normally come with a number of different pressure settings. Programmable pressure cookers allow you to select the level of pressure depending on what you are cooking and how long you want this to take. Electric high pressure cookers can operate from as low as 6 PSI to 15 PSI, The robocook geek chef line of pressure cookers come in different variants. There is the mini electric pressure cooker with stainless steel which is an 8 litre pressure cooker and also the 10 litre pressure cooker.
But before you start shopping, there’s one big question to ask yourself: Should I buy an electric pressure cooker or stove top?
While both serve the same function, they definitely have their differences, and one could be a better choice for you.
An electric pressure cooker’s biggest advantage is that you don’t have to watch it as carefully as a stovetop pressure cooker — you can set it and go about your business in the kitchen since it’s not on a hot stove. Everything is automated with this type of cooker, so you simply select the pressure you need (there’s often multiple settings to choose from) and it does the work. It also has its own timer to let you know when your food is done. All of these things combine to make a cooker that’s a bit easier to use, especially if you’re a first-time pressure-cooker user.
But what really intrigues us about the home electric pressure cooker is its portability! The product can be moved about from place to place and can literally be used anywhere where there is a socket.
Stove top pressure cookers cannot be customized. Most lack basic settings and pressure control or even a barometer to indicate the pressure level inside.
Electric cookers, on the other hand, usually come with a barometer, thermometer, a timer, tons of buttons which let you change the pressure level, and even different cooking options! Some can even be used as yogurt makers and egg cookers. Tons of different cooking methods can be employed by smart electric pressure cookers to create a better texture and a more tender taste.
Some electric fast cookers even have multiple compartments to cook multiple foods at the same time. With stove top and electric pressure cookers can be found with this, but some electric cookers can actually heat up different compartments separately, allowing for higher customization and efficiency.
Stove top pressure cookers can reach a certain amount of pressure before releasing the gas, but since they aren’t customizable the pressure cannot be controlled. So you cannot adjust the time it takes to cook the food.
Whereas with electric pressure cookers, the customizability is endless. This ensures that a higher pressure can be achieved, allowing the electric pressure cooker cooking times to be faster by far.
That about sums up the differences of the two, we hope we've made the choice clear for you!
